1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a helmet that is particularly well suited for cold-weather use.
2. Description of Related Art
A prior art helmet comprises a head portion that protects the head of a wearer, as a conventional helmet; a jaw shield, which is integrated with and forms a projection with the head portion and protects the lower part of the face of the wearer, more particularly the jaw; and an eye shield, which is situated between an upper front section of the head portion and an upper section of the jaw shield to protect the face of the wearer.
Due to its structure, the helmet has a small interior chamber. This interior chamber is usually insulated from the atmosphere to protect the wearer from cold air. At a certain temperature, water vapor in the humid air exhaled by the wearer will create condensation. Because the temperature of the lens of the eyeglasses of the operator wearing the helmet or the eye shield of the helmet can reach the condensation point of the breath of the wearer, water and/or ice will form on the eyeglass lens or on the eye shield.
To avoid the problem of condensation, it is possible to open the shield to allow outside air to flow into the helmet until the condensation is eliminated. This, however, presents a problem in that the wearer may be exposed to cold air, which is uncomfortable at the very least. Furthermore, the wearer has to use one hand to open the shield, which may be awkward when he or she is steering the vehicle being driven. The shield could also involuntarily close as a result of a sudden movement, which is potentially distracting. Thus, there is a need to provide a device which is capable of avoiding or eliminating the condensation created inside a full face helmet. There is a further need to provide such a device with an adjustment mechanism that can be manipulated by a wearer who is wearing gloves to protect his/her hands from the cold environment.
Prior art helmets provide some protection against the sun""s rays. However, the shield of prior art helmets is either clear or tinted and adjustment of the tint is usually not possible. On a bright sunny day, the wearer of a prior art helmet also must wear tinted eyeglasses to protect himself against the intensity of light, if the shield of his helmet is clear. In changing weather conditions, the wearer may have to remove and/or replace his tinted eyeglasses (or sunglasses) as the intensity of light changes. Thus, a need has developed for a helmet with an adjustable tinted shield. Because, as discussed above, the helmet wearer typically will wear both gloves and a helmet in a cold environment, there is a need to provide a tinted shield adjustment mechanism that can be controlled by the wearer while the wearer is wearing gloves.
Helmets that are adapted for cold-weather use are commonly equipped with electrically-heated eye shields that prevent water vapor from condensing and/or freezing on the eye shield. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,694,650 and 5,500,953 illustrate two examples of such heated eye shields. In each, an electric heating element extends across the eye shield, which is pivotally or otherwise movably connected to the helmet. The eye shield includes an electric connector that connects to an external power supply via power supply leads. If the wearer is riding a snowmobile, the power supply is typically the snowmobile""s battery. In these conventional heated eye shields, the power supply leads act as tethers between the eye shield and the power source and tend to disadvantageously move the heated eye shield during use. There is therefore a need to provide an electrical connection between a heated eye shield and an external power source that does not tend to move the eye shield relative to the helmet.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/075,992, which published on Aug. 8, 2002 as U.S. 2002/0104533 A1 and is incorporated by reference herein, discloses another conventional helmet. The helmet comprises a head portion, a shield portion, and a breathing mask. The shield portion comprises a jaw shield and an eye shield. The jaw shield is pivotally connected to the head portion and can be pivoted downwardly into a closed position and upwardly into an open position. The eye shield is pivotally connected to the head portion and includes a see-through shield and a tinted shield. The tinted shield is pivotally connected to the eye shield and can be lowered inside the helmet to protect the wearer from sun rays and raised into an upper, enclosed portion of the eye shield. The breathing mask is hermetically adapted to the face of the wearer to evacuate the wearer""s breath outside the helmet through breathing channels that extend laterally outwardly and rearwardly through the jaw shield.
In summary, there are several deficiencies in prior art helmets that necessitate an improved helmet design. This is especially true for the design of helmets specifically intended for cold weather use, such as for snowmobiling or the like.
One aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides an improved cold-weather helmet that includes a variety of features that simplify and improve the helmet""s ability to function effectively in cold weather.
An additional aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet with features that can be easily controlled using a gloved hand.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet with an easily adjustable breathing mask.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet with a detachable jaw shield.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet with a heated eye shield with a power source lead that does not interfere with the driver""s positioning of the eye shield.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet with an easily adjustable tinted shield.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet that includes a head portion. An eye shield connects to the head portion for relative movement between a raised position such that the eye shield is substantially out of a wearer""s field of vision and at least one lowered position wherein the eye shield is disposed in front of the wearer""s eyes. A tinted shield is disposed behind the eye shield, the tinted shield being connected to the head portion and being moveable between a raised position wherein the tinted shield is substantially out of the wearer""s field of vision and at least one lowered position wherein the tinted shield is disposed in front of the wearer""s eyes. A resilient member connects between the head portion and the tinted shield. The resilient member biases the tinted shield toward the raised position.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a holding device operatively connecting the eye shield to the tinted shield. The holding device selectively prevents the tinted shield from moving from the lowered position to the raised position when the tinted shield and the eye shield are in the lowered positions.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the holding device further includes a lever connected to the holding device, the lever being displaceable in lowering and raising directions, the lever moving the tinted shield into a lowered position when the lever is moved in the lowering direction.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever is adapted to disengage the holding device from the eye shield when the eye shield and the tinted shield are in the lowered position, thereby allowing the tinted shield to move into the raised position when the lever is moved in the raising direction.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the tinted shield is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement about a first axis. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the eye shield is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement about a second axis.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever is flexible along a direction of the first axis.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the eye shield includes a block mounted on an inside surface thereof The block abuts the lever when the eye shield and the tinted shield are in the lowered position thus preventing the tinted shield from returning to the raised position.
A further aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention provides a helmet that includes a head portion, an eye shield connected to the head portion moveable between a raised position where the eye shield is substantially out of a wearer""s field of vision and at least one lowered position where the eye shield is disposed in front of the wearer""s eyes, and a tinted shield behind the eye shield. The tinted shield connects to the head portion and is moveable between a raised position where the tinted shield is substantially out of the wearer""s field of vision and at least one lowered position where the tinted shield is disposed in front of the wearer""s eyes. The helmet further includes a first resilient member connected between the head portion and the tinted shield, the first resilient member biasing the tinted shield toward the raised position. A holding device is disposed between the head portion and the tinted shield, the holding device selectively preventing relative movement between the tinted shield and the head portion when the tinted shield is in a lowered position.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a lever connected to the head portion. The lever is displaceable in lowering and raising directions. The lever releases the holding device thereby allowing the tinted shield to move into the raised position when the lever is moved in the raising direction. The lever engages the tinted shield and moves the tinted shield into a lowered position when the lever is moved in the lowering direction.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the tinted shield is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement about a first axis. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement between the raising and lowering directions about a second axis that is offset from the first axis.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the holding device includes a first at least one tooth mounted to the tinted shield, and a second at least one tooth mounted to the head portion. The first at least one tooth and second at least one tooth are positioned to engage each other when the tinted shield is moved into the lowered position, thereby discouraging the tinted shield from moving into the raised position under the biasing force of the first resilient member.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the first at least one tooth includes a first plurality of teeth, the second at least one tooth includes a second plurality of teeth, and the tinted shield has a plurality of lowered positions corresponding to one of each of the first and second plurality of teeth.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a lever connected to the head portion. The lever is displaceable in lowering and raising directions. The lever releases the first at least one tooth from the second at least one tooth thereby allowing the tinted shield to move into the raised position when the lever is moved in the raising direction. The lever engages the tinted shield and moves the tinted shield into a lowered position when the lever is moved in the lowering direction.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a second resilient member connected between the lever and the head portion, the second resilient member biasing the lever in a neutral position.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever further includes a lowering hole, and the tinted shield further includes a lowering protrusion which engages with the lowering hole when the lever is moved in the lowering direction to move the tined shield into a lowered position.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever further includes a raising wedge which releases the first at least one tooth from the second at least one tooth when the lever is moved in the raising direction.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever further includes a handle. The handle is pulled to rotate the lever altering the position of the lowering hole thus causing the lowering hole to engage the lowering protrusion pulling the tinted shield toward the lowered position. The handle is pushed to rotate the lever, which forces the raising wedge between the first at least one tooth and the second at least one tooth to allow the tinted shield to rotate toward a raised position under the force of the first resilient member.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever further includes a handle. The handle is pulled to rotate the lever altering the position of the lowering hole thus causing the lowering hole to engage the lowering protrusion pulling the tinted shield toward the lowered position. The handle is pushed to rotate the lever, which forces the raising wedge between the first at least one tooth and the second at least one tooth to allow the tinted shield to rotate toward a raised position under the force of the first resilient member.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the tinted shield is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement about a first axis. According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lever is connected to the head portion for pivotal movement between the raising and lowering directions about a second axis that is offset from the first axis.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a bumper which cushions the impact force of the raising tinted shield when the tinted shield is thrust upwardly under the biasing force of the first resilient member.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the lowering hole includes a lowering edge such that the lowering edge does not contact the lowering protrusion when the lever is pushed to rotate the lever which forces the raising wedge between the first at least one tooth and the second at least one tooth to allow the tinted shield to rotate toward a raised position under the force of the first resilient member.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the helmet further includes a right side and a left side, the handle being placed on one of the right side and the left side of the helmet.
According to a further aspect of one or more of these embodiments, the handle is adapted to be grasped by one hand of a user wearing the helmet.
Additional and/or alternative objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.